Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-10-19

for moment from tutors, governess, and
my lady-free to think Of the past, my only
solace. Ny own maid-she was the only one
in the house who knew that had some secret
sorrow-came to tell me that there was q
sailor, all old sailor in the hall who wished to
see me. Who could it be but Dan Gulliverl
1t was indeed old Dan himself. He came
up stairs in his slow and quiet way. saw
him before he saw me. He was dressed like
common sailor; his hair was grayer and
his dear old face graver; there was no other
change.
He stood in the doorway. He actually did
not recognize me-
"Dan!" cried, springing into his arms.
"Dan! Don't you know mel"
Then lie did, and laid his hands upon my
shoulders, holding me bact and looking at
me, before he kissed my cheek.
"My pretty" he said, eand growed so tall!
And such a lady! 10 be sure, she always
was as sweet hammered as any lady in the
land. And oh. my pretty! he's gonel he's
gone! Don't take onl don't take on!"
@Tel me all about it, Dan. Tell me. And
poor Jephthah gone tool"
| 'Cut in two halves, he was, with q chain
shot. Died in action, my boy Jephthah. But
Mr.. Campion, poor young gentleman, he died
BY drownding. Fell or the yard in the
night, and never was seen-how could he be
seena-afterwards. Poor young gentleman
"Oh, Dan-Dan-my heart will break"
'Cry, pretty-cry as much as ever you can.
But cryin' won't bring him back. Cry now,
while tell you all about him.
.They knowed our story aboard the Vic
tory. Twas Smuggler Dan. The boys were
Smuggler Job and T'other Job-because, I'm
sorry to say, they mariners aboard his
| maiestys. ships never knew which was
which. And so Jephthah, who is now cut in
two pieces, was never knowed as such. And
| Mr.. Campion they called Gentleman Jack.
Now remember-some young gentlemen after
getting three years billet in the fo'ksle for
smuggling would ha' sat down and grizzled.
MIR. Canlpion wasn't one o that sort Pro
vidin' always he says to me-'providin' al.
ways, Dan, as my mother never finds out,
why, what odds is q three years cruiser And
merry with it. Once he ketches hold of
fiddle, the fo'ksle's alive; when he began to
play you'd ha: thought the fiddle was talkin',
not him playin'. All round him the men
would be sittin' an singin' till the whole ship
was as good tempered as If there wasn't nary
bos'n nor petty officer aboard.
"Well, you may depend on it, pretty, that
it wasn't long before the officers got to know
what an uncommon sailor they'd got shipped
aboard the Victory, for little run US he'd
made across tho Channel one fine night; and
it wasn't long before Capt Hardy hisself,
finding Mr.. Campion on the quarter deck,
axed him-ay, before the admiral-who he
was and how he came aboard. Mr.. Campion,
no more afraid Of speaking to the captain
than to the carpenter, he told him, touching
his hat, that he had been caught smuggling;
that they'd all got off with three years for
the Information they gave to the Admiralty,
and that he hoped to give satisfaction to his
honor so long as he was aboard, after which
| time, he said, he should give up sailoring be-
fore the mast. Capt. Hardy be laughed, and
the admiral laughed; and then his lordship,
who ought to know, said, in his quiet, easy
way, that man was 10 worse sailor for
being gentleman born but that gentlemen
ought not to run cargoes across the Channel
After that I think the word was passed down
Anyway, the worst Of the bos'ns never laid
ropes end on none Of us four.
"Come the action off Trafalgar. My pref
ty, we done our duty-Job and Jephthah and
Mr.. Campion and me-till that chain shot
came, and all I saw O. my boy Jephthah was
two halves and a pool Of blood.
"When the admiral fell they told me to
carry him down. That took best part Of
quarter Of an hour. The action lasted half
an hour longer When the firing ceased and
one could look round, I saw Mr.. Campion
alongside Of Job, alive and hearty. As for
Jephthah, that poor boy was throwed over
board in two halves.
I'VE had nasty weather on the way home.
One Of the prizes foundered. And one dark
night, in that nasty weather, all in the dark,
poor Mr.. Campion fell overheard and was
drowned"
l listened to the story, my head in my
hands. When Dan finished burst out into
fresh sobbing and crying I forgot about
Lady Calnpion and everything. I never
looked up. While Dan told his story lay
hiding my face in the sofa and crying, while
the door stood wide open, and madam herself
stood there listening to every word, and with
her John Huntspill, with white cheeks and
troubled brow. 1 looked up in my grief, but
sprang to my feet, terrified by the look of
madam. She was drawn to her full height,
leaning on her stick; her face was perfectly
white; her lips trembled; her sightless eyes
seemed to pour lightning on poor Dan; she
was terrible in her despair and wrath.
"Tell me" she said-''not you, girl; not you
tell me. man, smuggler,. sailor, whatever
you are, who was this Mr.. Campion who fell
overheard and was drowned.'
He was your ladyships son, and my Pleas
ance's sweetheart" said Dan, simply.
"And he was smuggler, too was he?"
mo, madam, not u smuggler; only once,
for boyish freak, he must needs run across
with me for single venture. And when we
were all tried, my lady, ut Dorchester sizes,
we got of for three years abroad, 'acause of
the news we picked up OIL our way back"
"Tried!-my son was tried!-with common
sailors! He was tried and got offI-he was
sent to seal"
"And he is dead" said John Huntspill, in
solemn sadness
HE is deadl" echoed his mother. "And
you, girl, knew he was at sea, common
sailor?"
"Alas!" moaned, ~ knew only too we'll"
"That you concealed from me. Did YOU
know on Illumination Day that my son was
dead9"
81 knew that then," replied.
She was silent for space. Her eyes were
dry and her lips parched. Had she wept one
might have had hope.
"All that day." she said, "you gazed upon
rejoicing mother who had lost son; you,
who had lost your lover, rejoiced with the
rest"
NAY, nay!" interposed John Huntspill.
"She pretended, to save you. Listen, madam.
1t was by Mr.. Williams own wish-nay,
command-that you were kept in ignorance
of what had happened. l knew; agreed
that it would be better. As no letters came
from Mr.. William, we wrote letters and pre-
tended they were from him-for his sake; we
read them to you for his sake. When the
dreadful news came resolved that we would
keep up the deception-for his sake, so that
you should never know when and how your
son had died"
Sect me my desk, John Huntspill."
He went obediently and brought back her
great mahogany desk, in which were Wills
pretended letters, all neatly tied up. She
opened the desk and found the parcel.